For immediate release
July 21, 2004
For more information, contact:
Wade Moser, NDSA executive vice president
Julie Schaff Ellingson, NDSA communications director
(701) 223-2522 •
[email protected]
Jeff Dahl, NDSA president • (701) 485-3762
Stockmen’s Association calls on R-CALF
to sever ties with anti-beef groups
“The North Dakota Stockmen’s Association (NDSA) has a 75-year reputation of being a credible source of cattle industry information and policy,” said NDSA President Jeff Dahl of Gackle, N.D.
That’s why the NDSA Board of Directors is dissatisfied with R-CALF USA, one of its national organizations, for partnering with some less-than-credible associations that poke holes in the industry’s cause and reputation, he said.
In a resolution passed at their meeting July 14 in Mandan, N.D., NDSA board members directed R-CALF USA officials to: 1) Stop their association with and distance themselves from groups that have a history of promoting anti-beef industry agendas; 2) Use sound science in their press releases and statements; and 3) Immediately stop making damaging statements that will lead to the erosion of consumer confidence in the U.S. beef supply; by Oct. 1, 2004, or the NDSA will withdraw its affiliation.
Specifically, the Board rejected R-CALF’s partnership with the Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Policy Institute and Public Citizen in blasting American efforts to protect the U.S. cattle herd and beef supply in regards to BSE and confusing consumers about the threat of the disease in this country.
The NDSA is concerned about the quality of R-CALF’s company, since the Consumer Federation of America has been a vocal supporter of plant-based diets and has muddied the waters of truth about irradiation and American food safety standards. The Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop referred to cancer scare claims regarding biotechnology by the Consumer Policy Institute’s Michael Hansen as “baseless, manipulative and completely irresponsible ... and as part of a long-running campaign to scare consumers about perfectly safe food.” Public Citizen likewise has a long list of anti-beef moves and has aligned itself with such radical animal rights activists as the Animal Welfare Institute and Farm Sanctuary.
“The NDSA believes strongly in most of the work R-CALF USA accomplishes on behalf of cow-calf producers around the nation. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have invested some of our members’ dollars to become affiliate members for the last three years, and we wouldn’t care what the organization did or with whom,” Dahl explained. “However, as affiliate members, we believe it is our right – and responsibility – to speak up when North Dakota cattlemen have concerns.”
Dahl has already made contact with R-CALF USA President Leo McDonnell of Columbus, Mont., to schedule a meeting next month where directors of both organizations can discuss – and hopefully resolve – any differences.
This is not the first time the NDSA has taken a national organization to task for not representing its members as the NDSA saw fit. It passed a similar resolution calling on the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to improve its cow-calf representation in 1999.
“Stockmen’s members were pleased with the progress we made at that time, and we’re confident we will be able to work out our concerns with R-CALF as well,” Dahl said. “In the end, we all have the same goals in mind.”
In other business at the meeting July 14, the NDSA Board of Directors approved a bylaw change to increase member participation in voting. The change, which is effective at the upcoming NDSA Convention Sept. 23-25 in Medora, N.D., will allow members to vote at any time during the convention after nominations close. Stockmen’s leaders also discussed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s BSE surveillance testing, the State Health Department’s animal-feeding operation rules, zoning issues, irradiation workshops, prairie dog management and more.